The entrepreneurial journey is a road paved with success and failure. While several people give up at first sight of defeat. Some remarkable individuals convert these misfirings as sources of motivation and building blocks of success. As one of those whose losses drove them to realize their true potential. Al Adebo stands at the helm of Munchiez Cannabis.
Munchiez Cannabis
Located in Ruidoso, New Mexico, Munchiez Cannabis is a cannabis superstore with one of the largest selections of premium medical. Recreational cannabis products ranging from exotics to mid-grade affordable options. The team has extensive experience in multiple cannabis ancillary businesses. It takes pride in providing the community with quality products and customer service. “We target the masses and not the classes,” a representative said.
At the helm of the successful enterprise is firebrand entrepreneur and go-getter Alalaye “Al” Adebo. Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, Al migrated to the United States in 2013, riding on an academic scholarship. However, he soon decided to leave school and leverage his background in Applied Mathematics to pursue the entrepreneurship route. It began his career in Automotive Sales at the age of 20. “I fell in love with the idea that you can eat what you kill. It not work hourly as all my friends did at that age,” he shares.
By the time he was 21, the dedicated go-getter became respected in the game, rising through the ranks to become a sales manager for one of the most significant high-volume Nissan Dealerships in Dallas, Texas. Working at the dealership taught Al a lot about people and business. With his new-found knowledge, the thriving entrepreneur started a side hustle and established an eCommerce business, selling wireless charges and phone accessories in 2018. But unfortunately, his venture failed as he had no passion for it and no clear-cut goal.
He continued his six-figure job at the dealership, but despite his substantial earnings, Al never stopped believing in his potential. He wanted to be a great leader and a successful entrepreneur and soon realized that the owners of the dealerships he worked for were just regular guys with a little bit of capital and a lot of effort. So, to bring his dreams to fruition, he became a student of his craft and spent hours learning.
ATM business
In 2019, he started an ATM business by watching hundreds of YouTube videos. He funded his business with his savings and bought five ATMs. A relentless optimist, he quit his job at the dealership, prepared to give his all to his new enterprise and become rich overnight. Alas, he was in for a rude awakening. According to him, he called over 20,000 businesses and got rejected 90% of the time. He went broke and slept in his car several times, driving across the country from state to state as he tried to stay afloat in business during a global pandemic. Through it all, he never wavered, determined to ride out the obstacles and reach the pinnacle of success.
With the few ATMs in dispensaries, the power player wanted to expand his reach, so he surveyed and found that high-traffic locations were missing customers due to high waiting times. While hustling ATMs, he was introduced to the Cannabis world and his brainchild Herbtech Kiosk was born. Leveraging his tech background, he gathered a team of hardworking individuals from all across the world using freelance apps Fiverr and Upwork to develop the Herbtech Kiosk, a new technology elevating customer experience in the cannabis world by providing self-ordering kiosks for dispensaries nationwide.
He traveled cross country to showcase the revolutionary technology at trade shows from Cannacon in Oklahoma City, Chicago Cannabis Expo In Chicago, and Lucky Leaf Expo in Albuquerque, NM, to name a few. Herbtech Kiosk proved to be a game changer, and fast forward to 2022, Munchiez Cannabis Dispensary was born. After New Mexico passed the law to legalize recreational cannabis, Al began operations in the city.
Determined to stand on the shoulders of giants and reach smashing success in the Cannabis industry, Al Adebo studied the industry and saw what the winners did compare to the others. “The results validated what I need to know. Put the customer first, and the sky is the limit,” he summarized.
